Azores, Portugal

Pico: Quiet Roads and Easy Trails for Running

Creative Commons: Christer Johansson

There’s an extensive network of scenic, well-waymarked walking and hiking trails on Pico. Those designated ‘easy’ generally suitable for easy-to-moderate trail running, while ‘medium’ or ‘difficult’ trails are hilly and feature more challenging footing. A few of our favorites in the ‘easy’ category:

Camino das Voltas.  Choose a section of this 22 km interior trail that runs between Cruz and Junqueira. Passes through a couple of nature preserves. Combination of woods, pastures, and beautiful flora and fauna.

Mistérios do Sul do Pico. Up to 8.7 km one-way. Follows the middle part of the southern coast between Companhia de Cima and Silveira. Lava fields, great water views, tidal pools and ‘natural’ swimming areas. About 1/3 of the route is along road. For those who want a mainly road section, choose the ~2 km section from Silveira headed west.

Vinhas da Criação Velha. Visitazores.com
Vinhas da Criação VelhaUp to 6.9 km one-way. A fantastic trail just south of Madalena that’s not very hilly. The trail alternates between interior sections highlighting Pico’s vineyards, with wonderful coastal views from higher ground, and some sections along the coast. About 1/3 on road.

Interior Roads. There are some lovely roads for running on the southwest part of the island, just south of Madalena and inland from Monte. These unnamed roads are lightly trafficked and wind through a combination of woods and farmland. For a less hilly option, we recommend driving east of the ER1 in the area between Criacao Velha and Candelaria, and running the roads north-south. This will be more rolling hills.

 

 

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